Wolf Moon

"Ugh, I'm going to miss you."


I look up at my best friend, Allison Argent. She has long brown hair and beautiful brown eyes. I moved to San Francisco when I was ten, to live with my godmother. My mother was struggling to take care of me and my twin brother so my godmother volunteered to take care of me until my mother got back on her feet.


Ever since I moved here, and started at San Francisco JR/SR High, Allison has been my only best friend. When I was thirteen, my godmother got sick, putting her on her deathbed. Her parents, Victoria and Chris Argent, took me in. They love me like their own.


They are just as sad as their daughter that I'm leaving and I will miss them too. Of course, I'll stay in contact. Now being the end of the summer before my sophomore year, I leave tomorrow so I'm home in time for my first day of school in Beacon Hills on Monday. I smile and sigh. "Look, it's hard for me too. I love it here but it's time for me to go home."


She flops her head down on my lap. "But don't you always say how dreary things are there? Why would you want to go?"


Beacon Hills isn't exactly the sunniest place in the state of California. I just need to go back. I have already begun my first high school year without my brother. I don't want to start another. "I know but...my family needs me. I've been gone for too long."


She groans. Allison knows how stubborn and determined I am. She knows, when I have my mind set on something, I'm stuck there. My day of leaving, I go around and make sure everything I have is packed in boxes and labeled. Chris and one of his buddies help me pack all my luggage and boxes into the back of my car.


A couple months ago, I put together my own money, with the help of Chris and Victoria, I bought myself a black Jeep. Back at home, I have a motorcycle but that wouldn't even help me haul all this in one trip. Allison leaves and comes back with my carry on. Inside is my laptop, my phone, headsets, a brush, a comb and a couple of other things.


We hug one more time and, of course, Allison is already crying. "Allison, I promise I'll come back to visit when I can, I'll always call you, video chat with you and even send you things randomly so you know I'm still thinking about you."


She laughs and nods, wiping her tears. "I know you will. It'll just be so weird without you here."


"It'll be weird not being here for me too."


I jump in the Jeep and wave to her as I drive off. Before I go on to the highway, I put on my headset to call Scott. He picks up after four rings. "Scar?"


"Hey, Scott. On my way to Beacon as we speak."


"That's great! I'm actually over at Stiles and mom is at work so no one is home."


"That's fine. I'll just drop my stuff off at the house and drive to the hospital."


"Alright, be safe."


"Okay, you and Stiles don't do anything illegal until I'm there to bail you out."


He laughs then hangs up and I'm back to silence. I like the silence. It gives me some time to think about things. One thing I do need to think about is this new move. I'm used to Beacon Hills but I'm a different person now. I used to be shy and conservative. Now, I'm more social and outgoing, willing to try new things. I'm sure Beacon Hills is ready for me but am I ready for it? I know things have changed over the one year since I left last summer. Maybe this will be great for me. Maybe it can shape me into someone I need to be for myself and my family.


I have to stop halfway to get gas. As my car is filling, I stop in the mini store and get some snacks. Then, I go inside the side bathroom to freshen up some. For a gas station bathroom, it's pretty nice. I decided I wanted to look more presentable so I put on a floral top and white pants with white sneakers. I continued to wear my glasses when I started high school. They are rectangular and in black frames. I already know Scott is going to tease me about them.


Before I left San Francisco, Victoria trimmed my hair so that it only stops at my bra. I sigh and get back to my car. When I finally get to my old house, I get nervous. Butterflies form in my stomach and my hands start to shake. I step out my Jeep and look up at the big family home. The autumn breeze is soft, calming and peaceful, the season of which your mind is clear. It's still as I remember.


I walk up to the front door and take out the key that was mailed to me by my mom since I lost the first three given to me. I open the door and I'm standing in the kitchen. All the rooms in this house are full of memories. I go up the stairs and go into the first room on the right. It used to be just a room for Scott, but now it's for the both of us.


Scott is what you would call 'anti-social'. He is shy even though he looks just like your average jock. I hope he hasn't ruined his high school reputation for the both of us. I know down the hall is my mom's room and the guest room. My mom, Melissa McCall, has raised us by herself almost our whole lives. Her last name was Delgado. Even when she got divorced, she still didn't change it back.


She works as a nurse at Beacon Hills Hospital. Our dad hasn't been in our lives o she is all we have.


I always questioned why it was just me and not Scott as well. But there is still a part of me that hopes he comes back. I might sound crazy but every child wants both their parents in their lives. Maybe he's changed.


After exploring a bit, I drive all the way to Beacon Hills hospital. During the ride, I can't help but look up at the sky. The sun is covered by light grey clouds. Rain is very common here so Allison bought me an umbrella. She was joking and being serious at the same time. When I get to the hospital, I go through the front and talk to the lady at the desk. "Hi, is Melissa McCall in?" I ask.


The lady looks up from her papers and nods. "She's currently occupied. Is there a message you want me to take for you?"


"No, I would like to actually see her. She's my mom."


She looks surprised. I guess I'm not talked about much or this lady is new here. She takes me to an empty room that holds two beds. I walk in and see her finishing something on a clipboard. She hasn't changed much. She is wearing her scrubs and her hair in the usual frizzy way.


She looks up and drops the clipboard, cupping her hands over her mouth and nose. "Scarlett, baby."


I don't hesitate to hug her. "I'm so happy you're back."


I laugh while crying. "It feels good to be back."


Scott comes in, holding a small bag. "Mom, I-" He cuts himself off when he sees me. "Well, look what the sun dragged in."


I laugh and playfully hit him on the shoulder. He laughs too. He picks me up and gives me a tight bear hug. This is where I belong. With my brother and my mom.


Later on a school night, I'm still trying to get settled. Scott gave up his closet and stuffed all his clothes in his dresser. I plan on fixing all the mess before the end of this week. I use the shelves for my normal clothes, the floor for my shoes and I hang up my dresses and good shirts. I store all my boxes and luggage and boxes in the basement until I can get it into a storage unit or something.


After that, it's only four when I'm done and my mom took the rest of the day off so I go downstairs to help her make dinner. She's looking through the fridge when I walk in the kitchen. I jump up and sit on the counter. "What are you making for dinner?"


She closes the fridge. "Depends on what you want." She reaches behind me and grabs the home phone. "Chinese, Asian, Italian or pizza?"


I laugh at my mom who hasn't changed one bit, in a good way. I and Scott both settle on pizza for tonight but Chinese tomorrow. After eating, I go back upstairs to find Scott is restringing the pocket on a lacrosse stick. "Wait, is my brother, Scott McCall, actually involved in a sport?"


He playfully throws a pillow at me. "Yes, I play lacrosse with Stiles for the school team."


I sarcastically gasp. "Stiles!? The sky must be green today."


I climb up into my bed to fix up my pillow. Scott has a pull-up bar above the door of our bathroom. While he's doing pull-ups, I start texting Allison to let her know I got here okay and I'm settled in. Scott finishes his exercise and then, while brushing his teeth in the bathroom, he turns around. "Did you hear that?" he asks.


I jump down to the floor. "No, but I thought you said you were gonna cut your hair."


Scott's hair was grown out, at least to his ear. But I couldn't complain because I had even longer brown hair. He picks up my glasses and lets them hit my nose. "And I thought you were going to be less annoying."


He takes our mom's baseball bat with him out to the wrap around porch to investigate. "Scott, there's nothing out h-"


Suddenly, Stiles Stilinski appears hanging upside down from the porch roof. All three of us are startled and we all scream. "Stiles, what the hell!?" Scott exclaims.


"You weren't answering your phone. Why do you have a bat?"


"I thought you were a predator."


I peak from behind Scott. "Hey, Stiles."


"Sup, Scarlett. Welcome home."


I smile. "Thanks."


Stiles has been me and Scott's best friend since we were little. We have been side by side through thick and thin, better or worse. His father is the sheriff of the town which makes him who is he now: curious and extremely smart. "Look, I know it's late, but you gotta hear this. I saw my dad leave twenty minutes ago. Dispatch called. They're bringing in every officer from the Beacon Department, and even State Police."


"For what?" Scott asks.


"They called a 10-55."


"What?"


Dispatcher code. Stiles and I have spent enough time in his dad's cruiser that we've learned the 10 codes they use. Scott, not so much. "They found a body?" I ask.


"Exactly!"


"Stiles, can we continue this conversation without you hanging from my house?"


He looks up at himself as if he was just now remembering he was hanging upside down. He drops down and continues on in the same exciting tone. "Two joggers found a body in the woods."


"A dead body?" Scott asks.


"No, a body of water. Yes, dumb ass, a dead body."


"Murder?" I ask.


"Nobody knows yet. Just that it was a girl, probably in her 20's."


"Hold on, if they found the body, then what are they looking for?"


"That's the best part. They only found half. We're going."


Stiles hasn't changed a bit. Being his best friends, we follow. Stiles parks his powder blue Jeep at the closed entrance to the preserve. As we're walking, Scott asks, "We're seriously doing this?"


"You two are the ones always bitching that nothing ever happens in this town."


"Murder wasn't exactly what we meant, Stiles," I yell at him, trying to keep up.


"I was trying to get a good night's sleep before practice tomorrow," Scott explains, grabbing me by the hand.


"Right, 'cause sitting on the bench is such a grueling effort," Stiles sarcastically replies.


"No, because I'm playing this year. In fact, I'm making the first line."


"Hey, that's the spirit. Everyone should have a dream, even a pathetically unrealistic one."


I keep hold of Scott's hand while still trying to keep up. "Don't be mean, Stiles. I'm sure he can do it."


"Or, he can fail miserably, still be on the bench, never have a chance of playing on the field again and ruin his high school reputation."


"OR, he can do the exact opposite."


"Just out of curiosity, which half of the body are we looking for?" Scott asks, his breath getting heavy.


Stiles is too occupied looking around for the other half of the body. "Huh? I didn't even think about that."


"And, uh, what if whoever killed the body is still out here?" I ask.


"Also something I didn't think about."


"It's very comforting to know you've planned this out with your usual attention to detail, Stiles," I say through my teeth.


"I know."


As we're trudging up a hill, I and Scott begin wheezing. We have really bad asthma which is actually one of the reasons I'm surprised Scott is playing a sport this year. Stiles is the one carrying the flashlight while we have to squint in the black night. "Maybe the severe asthmatic should be the one holding the flashlight, huh?"


Stiles begins running ahead. "Wait, come on!"


"Stiles! Wait up! Stiles! Stiles!"


He's gone. We stop to take hits off our inhalers before running after him. We are right behind him when I hear a cop say, "Hold it right there!"


Scott grabs me and pulls me back into the shadows. He leans up against the tree. Then I hear the voice of Sheriff Stilinski. "Hang on, hang on. This little delinquent belongs to me."


Stiles uses his usual awkwardness to try and get out of trouble. "Dad, how are you doing?"


"So, do you, uh, listen in to all of my phone calls?"


"No, heh. Not the boring ones."


"Now, where's your usual partner in crime?"


"Who, Scott? Sc - Scott's home. He said he wanted to get a good night's sleep for the first day back at school tomorrow. It's just me. In the woods. Alone. Did you know Scar got back today?"


The Sheriff, not believing Stiles' crap for a minute, shines his flashlight into the woods and calls out for Scott. "Scott, you out there? Scott?"


We press up against a tree as I hold my breath. "Well, young man, I'm gonna walk you back to your car. And you and I are gonna have a conversation about something called an invasion of privacy."


I guess seeing nothing, the Sheriff grabs Stiles by the neck and walks him back to his car.


I walk behind Scott, back toward our house. Something catches his eyes but, suddenly, he goes rolling down a hill. I go down the hill, slowly, but he's not at the bottom. I start to panic so I take another hit of my inhaler. I continue walking, holding my inhaler tight in my hand.


I then hear Scott scream and I accidentally drop my inhaler. Now I regret leaving my phone at home. I try to look for it, anyway, but no luck. "Scott!" I call. "Scott!"


There's no answer. I then hear a low growl and turn to see a large wolf-like creature with glowing white eyes standing several feet away. The creature pounces, knocking me to the ground. I try to scoot away but the beast pulls me back and bites down hard.


I start breathing hard from fear and exertion. I lift up my t-shirt to reveal a large bloody bite. Deep puncture wounds create a rough circle on the right side of my abdomen from just below the ribs to just above my waistline.


It begins to rain as I sit on the ground, panting in the road. A wolf howls. I get back home and see Scott taping up his side. Scott looks up at me and jumps up to hug me. I feel the bite start to sting more so I wince. Scott slowly lifts up my shirt and sees my bite mark.


I see all the blood and I start to feel dizzy. I pass out and wake up in my bed, early in the morning. Scott is already up and dressed. "Scott..." I say, getting to the floor.


I stumble a bit but regain my feet. I head toward the bathroom. "Are you sure we should go to school?"


I look down at the bite that Scott bandaged up. A little blood has already seeped through. "We'll be fine. It's your first day at a brand new high school and it's my first day back."


I sigh and take a quick shower. I dress in a casual red dress. It was looked like a top and skirt. The bottom is pleated. I slip on a black sweater and look for my ankle boots. "It's brisk outside," Scott says, laughing as he walks out the room.


I groan and slip on my black stockings. I get on my black ankle boots and hurry to do my hair. I curl it and push back the side with a small flower pin. I look for my keys and get my book bag.


Scott pulls out his bike and I pull out mine. I sigh and prepare for high school. Scott gives me a reassuring smile. We arrive at Beacon Hills High School just as some boy was parking his Porsche. He steps out, hitting Scott with his door. "Watch the paint job," he says, with a menacing tone.


He looks at me then back at Scott and back to me again. "I'm scared to ask, so I'm just not going to."


As he walks off, I and Scott walk toward the school. "Who the hell is that?" I ask.


"Jackson Whittemore."


"Spoiled rich kid?"


"Spoiled rich kid."


We both laugh. Later, we show Stiles our wounds. "I think we were attacked by wolves because I heard a wolf howling."


Me and Stiles exchange looks before saying at the same time, "No, you didn't."


"What? How are you going to tell me what I heard?"


I bite my lip and shake my head. Scott looks more confused. "I wish I could agree with you but...there haven't been any wolves in California for a while."


"60 years, to be exact," Stiles says.


"Really?"


"Really," me and Stiles repeat.


"All right, well, if you don't believe me about the wolf, then you're definitely not gonna believe me about when I tell you I found the body."


"You-" Stiles is in shock. "Are you kidding me?"


"No, man, I wish. I'm gonna have nightmares for a month."


"Oh, god, that is freakin' awesome. I mean, this is seriously gonna be the best thing that's happened to this town since -" Stiles is excited about the discovery but becomes distracted by the approach of Lydia Martin. "Since the birth of Lydia Martin."


She sees me and smiles. "Hi, Charlotte. You're back!"


I look at Scott and he just shrugs. "Scarlett."


"Oh, so sorry."


I laugh and we hug. "Good to see you again, Lydia."


"We should hang out sometime, to catch up. I'm loving that outfit."


I thank her and she walks off. "Hey, Lydia. You look..." She keeps walking, ignoring Stiles greeting. "Like you're gonna ignore me."


He blames Scott for Lydia's diss. "You're draggin' me down to your nerd depths. I'm a nerd by association. I've been scarlet nerded by you."


Me, Scott and Stiles sit in English Class. I have to stand up in front of everyone and introduce myself, which is quite embarrassing for me. The teacher, thankfully, does most of the talking. "This is our new student, Scarlett McCall. She's coming from... Where are you coming from?"


"San Francisco but I was raised here, in Beacon Hills."


"Your last name sounds very familiar. Do you have a sibling that goes here or used to?"


I see Stiles snicker from the back. I have to cover my mouth to hide my smile. "Yes, my brother, Scott McCall."


Everyone in the room, except Scott and Stiles, gasps. I should have known this is how it was going to be. The teacher even looks surprised. "You're Scott McCall's younger sister?"


"No, worse. Twin sister," Stiles replies.


I do my best to keep a straight face as Scott puts his head down in embarrassment. "Well, I guess you can take a seat next to him."


I nod and sit to Scott's left and Stiles behind me. As the teacher writes 'Kafka's Metamorphosis' on the chalkboard, he explains, "As you all know, there indeed was a body found in the woods last night. And I am sure your eager little minds are coming up with various macabre scenarios as to what happened."


I sit with my head leaning against my hand, bored and a little annoyed. "Not really," I mumble.


Scott playfully nudges me. The teacher is still going on. "But I am here to tell you that the police have a suspect in custody, which means you can give your undivided attention to the syllabus which is on your desk outlining this semester."


Me and Scott look back at Stiles, who winks at us. As I'm looking over the syllabus, a sudden loud cell phone ring startles me. I look around the room for the source but can't find it. I look outside and see a girl sitting on a bench outside the school. "Allison?" I whisper.


She answers her phone and I can hear her conversation perfectly as though she's sitting right next to me instead of beyond the wall and several dozen feet away. Allison is talking to her mother over the phone. "Mom, three calls on my first day is a little overdoing it. Everything except a pen. Oh, my God, I didn't actually forget a pen. Okay, okay. I gotta go. Love ya."


The vice principal comes out and joins her. "Sorry to keep you waiting. So you were saying San Francisco isn't where you grew up?"


"Sort of. We were there for more than a year which was very unusual for my family."


"Well, hopefully, Beacon Hills will be your last stop for a while."


After that, he walks her into the building. A few seconds later she enters the English class, is introduced and takes the desk directly behind Scott. She sees me and smiles. Scott doesn't say anything but hands her a pen. Their eyes meet briefly as she says thanks.


I just look at him. "You heard it too?" I whisper.


"Yeah."


I catch up with her at her locker. She jokes about how her dad is still overprotective. Then, we're approached by Lydia. "That jacket is absolutely killer. Where'd you get it?" she asks.


"My mom was a buyer for a boutique back in San Francisco."


"And you two are now my new best friends," Lydia declares just as Jackson walks up. Lydia and Jackson embrace then kiss, making it obvious that they are a couple.


Jackson sees me and recognizes me from this morning. "Who's this?" he asks Lydia.


"Scarlett Mickle."


I sigh. "McCall. Scarlett McCall"


"Wait, McCall? Are you his little sister? You're a freshman?"


"No, I'm a sophomore. Scott is my twin brother."


Jackson is speechless. I overhear Stiles talking to a girl down the hall. "Can someone tell me how the new girls are here all of five minutes, and she's already hanging out with Lydia's clique?" the girl asks.


"Because...they're hot. Beautiful people herd together."


Stiles calling me hot sounds weird. I can feel my cheeks turning a bright pink. It's not even about having romantic feelings. Maybe it's because I don't see myself in that way and it's embarrassing to hear someone I'm very close to saying it. "Scarlett!"


I snap out my thoughts and see the three of them staring at me. "I'm sorry, I was thinking about something."


"You okay?" Allison asks. "Your face is all red. Do you feel sick?"


Crap. "Not at all. I'm fine."


"Anyways..." Lydia dismisses. "There's a party this weekend."


"A party?" Allison asks.


"Yeah, Friday night," Jackson replies. "You should come."


"Uh, I can't. It's family night this Friday. Thanks for asking."


"You sure? Everyone's going after the scrimmage."


"You mean like football?"


I shake my head. "Unlike where we're coming from, football's a joke here," I explain. "The sport here is lacrosse."


"We've won the state championship for the past three years," Jackson brags.


"Because of a certain team captain," Lydia adds.


Couples like this make me sick to my stomach. I prefer having conversations like Stiles and I have with my boyfriend instead of...this. "Hey, what about you, Scarlett? Are you coming to the party?"


"I'll have to think about it," I simply reply.


"Well, we have practice in a few minutes," Jackson says. "That is...if you two don't have anywhere else-"


"Well, I was going to-"


"Perfect. You're coming," Lydia insists."


She then proceeds to drag Allison and I to lacrosse practice. Me, Allison and Lydia sit in the stands while Jackson goes into the locker room. I listen in on Stiles and Scott talking on the field. "But if you play, I'll have no one to talk to on the bench," Stiles is protesting. "Are you really gonna do that to your best friend?"


"I can't sit out again," Scot replies "My whole life is sitting on the sidelines. This season, I make the first line."


That's when the coach calls him. "McCall!"


"Yeah?"


"You're at the goal."


"I've never played."


"I know so scoring some shots will give the boys a confidence boost. It's a first day back thing. Get 'em energized, fired up!"


"What about me?"


The coach throws him a goalie stick and a helmet. "Try not to take any in the face. Let's go! Come on!"


Knowing what kind of shit show this will be, I take out a book and read with it my lap and my legs in Indian position. I feel Allison nudge me with her elbow. "That's your brother at the goal, right?"


I nod without looking up. "Yeah, why?"


"Well, he's in my English class."


I flip the page. "Oh, I'm well aware. I was there."


I hear Jackson yell, "Hey, way to catch with your face, McCall!"


I sigh and look up. I don't like anyone messing with my brother except me and Stiles. "Hey, Jackson!" I call out. "Why don't you shut up and give that hole you call a mouth in your face a chance to heal?"


Everyone laughs. Even Lydia does her best not to show her boyfriend she's amused. Stiles looks back at me and shoots me a thumbs up. I don't go back to my book. This time I watch closely and wait for Jackson to say something again. Scott takes a few balls almost to the face. At least he knows how to duck. "He seems...like he's pretty good," Allison remarks.


"Oh, very good," Lydia replies.


"Yes, remarkable," I add sarcastically.


Someone blows a whistle and, with my ears turned up to super loud, I'm deafened and disoriented by the noise. I cover my ears, wincing. I see Scott holding his ears too. While he is covering his ears in obvious pain, one of the other players launches a ball toward the goal. In a split second, everything is in slow motion. I get from the stands to right in front of him and catch the ball right before it hits him. When I do, everything resumes at the normal pace. Everything and everyone are still. I see the whistle drop from the coach mouth and the players drop their sticks in shock.


My heart is racing and I have to take slow deep breaths as I try to calm myself. "Who...are you?" the coach asks.


I hesitate. "She's Scarlett McCall, Scott's twin sister," Stiles replies from the bench.


Everyone's jaw drops. Great, another month of this. "McCall? You're related to the uncoordinated, lazy and dumb Scott McCall?"


I slowly nod. "Yes."


"You can't be."


"Well, they do have the same hair and eye color," one player points out.


"And she introduced herself in English today," another says.


I roll my eyes and make sure Scott's alright before sitting on the bench with Stiles. "You seem to be noticed by every boy."


I laugh. "It's all in the dimples and pearly white smile."


"It's sad that you got the dimple and cute smile while Scott got the crooked jaw and stupidity"


I laugh and flip my hair. "I'm the special twin."


We both watch as Scott tightens his grip on his stick and prepares for the next ball just as it flies toward him. He catches it and seems surprised as does me, Stiles and each of the other players on the field. He stops three more attempted goals in quick succession impressing both Allison and Lydia.


Jackson doesn't seem impressed one bit. He seems angry as he forces his way to the front of the line, takes a running start and hurls the ball toward the goal. Scott swoops it up as easily as the others causing Stiles to leap to his feet. He and the rest of crowd, including Lydia, cheer loudly.


Later, when we go to look for our inhalers in the woods, we try to explain to Stiles what happened to the best of our ability. "I don't- I don't know what it was. It was like I had all the time in the world to catch the ball."


"And that's not the only weird thing," I continue. "I hear stuff I shouldn't be able to hear."


"Like what?" Stiles asks.


"When you were talking to that girl in the hallway when Allison and I were talking o Lydia and Jackson."


"You...heard that?"


"Every word. Anyways, I can also smell things."


"Smell things? Like what?"


"Like the mint," Scott replies. "The mint-mojito gum in your pocket."


"I don't even have any mint-mojito-" He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a stick of gum, proving Scott right. "So all this started with a bite?"


"What if it's like an infection, like, my body's flooding with adrenaline before I go into shock or something?" Scott asks.


"You know what?" Stiles says. "I actually think I've heard of this. It's a specific kind of infection."


Scott is actually concerned now, hearing our friend's tone. "Are you serious?"


"Yeah. Yeah, I think it's called lycanthropy."


Oh boy. I open my mouth to answer but Stiles puts a hand over my mouth, knowing I knew. "What's that?" Scott asks. "Is that bad?"


"Oh, yeah, it's the worst. But only once a month, like Scar's-"


Even with his hand over my mouth, I elbow him in the gut. Scott is still lost. "Once a month?"


Stiles whines in pain but still keeps up the act. "On the night of the full moon." He imitates a howl. Finally, Scott catches on and rolls his eyes. He releases me and I take another hit to his chest. "Hey, you're the one who heard a wolf howling."


"Hey, there could be something seriously wrong with us."


"I know! You're werewolves! Rrr!"


"Stiles, stop it," I complain. "This isn't a joke."


"Okay, obviously I'm kidding. But if you see me in shop class trying to melt all the silver I can find, it's 'cause Friday's a full moon."


"And if you see me standing over you with a knife in my hand, don't ask questions," I counter.


Scott suddenly stops. "No, I- I could have sworn this was it. I saw the body, the deer came running. I dropped my inhaler."


I look and see nothing but dead leaves. "Maybe the killer moved the body," Stiles suggests.


"If he did, I hope he left my inhaler. Those things are like eighty bucks."


Good thing I kept my spare under my pillow. "Why would a killer have a body here then come back a day later to get it?" I inquire. "That's sounds so stupid."


"Most killers are these days."


As me and Stiles go back and forth, Scott continues to look. Then I hear someone say, "What are you doing here?"


I look up to see Derek Hale appearing out of nowhere. Derek. What the hell is he doing back? I look to Stiles who shrugs. "Huh? This is private property."


"Uh, sorry, man, we didn't know," Stiles apologizes.


"Yeah, we were just looking for something," Scott adds. "But- Uh, forget it."


Derek then tosses something cold to me and Scott and strides away without another word. I down to see my inhaler. "Uhm. Alright, come on, I gotta get to work," Scott says, beginning to walk away.


Stiles stops him. "Dude, that was Derek Hale. You remember, right? He's only like a few years older than us."


"Remember what?"


"His family," I explain. "They all burned to death in a fire about ten years ago. The only problem is I don't know what he's doing back. After the fire, he suddenly disappeared and no one heard from him."


Stiles looks to where he left then pats Scott's back. "Come on."


I stay home with my mom while Scott went to his job at the Beacon Hills Animal Clinic. The next day, after school, Jackson confronts Scott at his locker. They are both wearing their lacrosse gear. He doesn't even acknowledge my presence. "Good morning," Scott still greets.


"All right, little man. How 'bout you tell me where you're getting your juice."


"What?"


"Where are you getting your juice?"


"My mom does all the grocery shopping."


My brother is so oblivious. It's going to be the death of him one day. "Now, listen, McCall. You're gonna tell me exactly what it is and who you're buying it from, because there's no way in hell you're out there kicking ass on the field like that without some sort of chemical boost."


"Oh, you mean steroids." Scott decides to flip it. "Are you on steroids?"


Jackson becomes infuriated and slams him again. I go to push him but he pushes me back, knocking me into the other lockers. "What the hell is going on with you two, McCall?"


"What's going on with us? You really wanna know? Well, so would we! Because we can see, hear, and smell things that we shouldn't be able to see, hear, and smell. We do things that should be impossible, I'm sleepwalking three miles into the middle of the woods, and we're pretty much convinced that we're totally out of our freaking minds!"


"You think you're funny, don't you, McCall? I know you two are hiding something. I'm gonna find out what it is. I don't care how long it takes."


He gives Scott one last shake before leaving. I get to my full height and brush my clothes off. An excited Stiles runs up to us at lacrosse practice. "Just hold on, okay? I overheard my dad on the phone. The fiber analysis came back from the lab in L.A. They found animal hairs on the body from the woods!"


Scott is too preoccupied to pay any attention. "Stiles, I gotta go."


"Wait, no! Scott! You're not gonna believe what the animal was! It was a wolf." But it was too late. Scott had already walked away.


Tonight, it's the party and Scott is going with Allison as her date. We make a stop by Stiles' who seems a bit more hyper than usual. He's definitely hyped off Adderall right now. "Get in," he says. "You gotta see this thing. I've been up all night reading websites, books. All this information."


"How much Adderall have you had today?" Scott asks.


"A lot. Doesn't matter. Okay, just listen."


"Oh, is this about the body? Did they find out who did it?"


"No, they're still questioning people, even Derek Hale."


"Oh, the guy in the woods that we saw the other day."


"Yeah! Yes. But that's not it, okay?"


"What, then?"


"Remember the joke from the other day? Not a joke anymore. The wolf, the bite in the woods. I started doing all this reading. Do you even know why a wolf howls?"


"Should I?"


"It symbolizes a signal, Scott," I tell him. "When a wolf's alone, it howls to signal its location to the rest of the pack. So if you really did hear a wolf howling, that means others were nearby. It could've been an entire pack.


"A whole pack of wolves?"


"No," Stiles replies. "Werewolves."


"Are you seriously wasting my time with this? You know I'm picking up Allison in an hour."


"I saw you on the field today, Scott. Okay, what you did wasn't just amazing, all right? It was impossible."


"Yeah, so I made a good shot."


"No, you made an incredible shot, I mean... The way you moved, and your speed, your reflexes. You too, Scarlett. Y'know, people can't just suddenly do that overnight. And there's the vision and the senses, and don't even think I don't notice that you don't need your inhaler anymore."


"Okay! Dude, I can't think about this now. We'll talk tomorrow."


"Tomorrow?! What? No! The full moon's tonight. Don't you get it?"


"Scott, I hate to say it but he has a point," I speak. "I think you should lay low tonight, just to make sure."


"What are you trying to do? I just made the first line. I got a date with a girl who I can't believe wants to go out with me, and everything in my life is somehow perfect. Why are you trying to ruin it?"


"I'm trying to help," Stiles replies. "You're cursed, Scott, and so is Scarlett. At least she's keeping an open mind about the possibilities."


I cross my arms and shrug. "Not really. I just have no other conclusions so I'm just following this one until I figure out something more realistic."


"The point is, the moon won't only cause you to physically change. It also just so happens to be when your bloodlust will be at its peak."


"Bloodlust?"


"Yeah, your urge to kill."


"I'm already starting to feel an urge to kill, Stiles."


"You gotta hear this." Stiles begins to read from his computer screen. "'The change can be caused by anger or anything that raises your pulse.' All right? I haven't seen anyone raise your pulse like Allison does."


I can't have him hurting anyone, especially Allison. She's like a sister to me. I take out my phone and begin to dial her number. "As much as I hate to take Stiles' side on this one, you have to cancel this date. I'm calling her right now."


"What are you doing?"


It's ringing. "I'm canceling the date."


He tries reaching for my phone. "No, give it to me!"


I hold it up out of his reach. "Not only is this my phone, I'm doing this for your own good."


He suddenly grabs me by the wrist and slams me against a wall, gripping the hand holding my phone and Allison calling me from the other line. In that very moment, I saw the rage in Scott's eyes as if he hated my very existence. I can only look away and try not to cry. He apologizes and leaves quickly. I bring the phone to my ears. "Sorry, Allison. I dialed you by accident."


I rub my arm as I hang up without waiting for an answer. Stiles slowly stands from his chair. "Scar, you okay?"


I slowly nod and grab my bag. "I'll call you later, Stiles."


When I get home, Scott is in the shower and my mom is getting ready for her night shift. I hate how much and late she works just to support us. She deserves rest just as much as we do. As I go up the stairs, she's standing outside the bathroom, waiting. "Hey, sweetie. Are you okay? How is your first week going?"


I smile and shrug. "People are still in shock that I'm the twin sister of Scott McCall, the lacrosse team captain is out for me because I don't take his crap and the other male population keeps staring at me. You know, just swell."


She laughs and kisses the top of my head. "It's good to have you back."


Scott comes out the bathroom and my mom is right there on his back. "Mom!"


"Is this a party or a date?" she asks. She's in mommy mode.


"Maybe both."


"And her name is?"


"Allison."


"Allison. That's Scar's friend from San Francisco right? Nice."


"Thank you."


"We don't need to have a talk, do we?"


"Mom, I'm not having the safe sex talk with you."


"Oh, my God. No, I meant about keeping the tank full. Give me those back."


She snatches her car keys from his hand. "Are you serious?"


"You bet your ass I am serious. I'm not gonna end up on some reality television show with a pregnant sixteen-year-old. Come on!"


He looks to me. "Scarlett, can I take your Jeep?"


I cross my arms and raise an eyebrow. I can't show my mom I'm mad at him for what he did. I don't want her to worry more than I know she already does. "You take my car, mess it up, I'll be burying my own brother."


"I won't mess it up. Is that a yes?"


I spin the keys around my finger and catch them in my hand. "Hell no! Take your bike."


He does eventually get the car from our mom. As I'm browsing the internet, I get a crazy text from Stiles only a bit after Scott left to pick up Allison:


Full moon. Made Scott crazy. Derek Hale took Allison home. Please don't kill anyone.


"What the hell?" I say aloud.


What is Derek doing at the party and how did he even get Allison in his car? I throw on a hoodie and head out the door. I go straight through the woods. "Scott!" I call. He has to be out here. If he really went werewolf crazy, he would follow the strongest scent of werewolf nearby. "Scott!"


Suddenly, I feel something sharp graze my cheek. I look to see an arrow shot through a tree. I bring a finger to my face and feel a small but sort of long cut. I don't hesitate to start running. Who the hell is shooting arrows in the middle of the woods? It's not even hunting season. Unless they're looking for...something else. As I'm running, I'm pulled to the ground. At first, I think I'm caught but I realize it's just Derek and next to him is Scott.


Next to him, my brother. I'm about to say something but Derek covers my mouth, shushing me. I hear a man say, "Take them."


When the coast is clear, Derek releases me. "Who were they?" Scott asks.


"Hunters," Derek replies. "The kind that has been hunting us for centuries."


"Us? You mean you! You did this to us!"


I brush off my clothes as I stand up. "Well, no, Scott. Derek couldn't have bitten us."


"And what makes you so sure?"


I glance at him and sigh. "I would have smelled it on him that afternoon we saw him."


"Is it really so bad, Scott?" Derek asks. "That you can see better, hear more clearly, move faster than any human could ever hope? You two have been given something that most people would kill for. The bite is a gift."


"Does this gift come with a receipt?" I ask rhetorically. He gives me a look. "I'm guessing, by that face, no refunds or exchanges. Only store credit. Just great."


"I don't want it," Scott says, referring to the bite.


"You will. And you're gonna need me if you want to learn how to control it. So you and me, Scott, we're brothers now." He begins walking away but glances back at me. "Scarlett, you have two brothers now."


I roll my eyes and begin walking in the opposite. "Oh, bite me. Pun intended."


The next, we ride with Stiles to school. I sit in the front with my foot up on the dashboard while Scott is in the back, thinking. "You know what actually worries me the most?" he asks aloud.


"If you say 'Allison', I'm gonna punch you in the head," Stiles threatens.


"I want in on that," I add.


"She probably hates me now," Scott continues.


"Ugh. I doubt that. But you might want to come up with a pretty amazing apology. Or, you know, you could just... Tell her the truth and revel in the awesomeness of the fact that you and your sister are frickin' werewolves." Me and Stiles exchanges looks then shake our heads. "Okay, bad idea."


"Let's go on the record saying I didn't lose control," I point out. "I just went looking for him and got caught in his Derek Hale BS."


"I meant to ask. Why were you fine when Scott wasn't?"


"I don't know. Maybe because I didn't deny like he tried to." I glance behind me and see Scot just lost in thought, a bit down. "Hey, we'll get through this. Together. Come on, if he has to, Stiles can chain you up himself on full moon nights and feed you live mice."


"I had a boa once," Stiles adds. "I can do it."


When we get to school, we run into Allison. "So what happened?" Allison asks my brother. "You left me stranded at the party."


"Yeah, I... I know, I know. I'm really sorry, I am. But... You're gonna have to trust that I had a really good reason."


"Did you get sick?"


"I definitely had an attack of something."


"Am I gonna get an explanation?"


"Can you just find it in your heart to trust me on this one?"


"Am I gonna regret this?"


"Probably."


"Yes," I say.


"So is that a yes on a second chance?" Scott asks.


"Definitely yes." There's a honk and I see Chris Argent step out his car. "That's my dad. I better go."


I give her a hug and she walks off. Me and her father exchange smiles. Scott freezes and stares for a minute. "What is it?" I ask him.


"He's the hunter from last night."

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